bethell



Jan. 28, 1930. BETHELL 1,745,242

TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Filed o t- 26, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' 28 1930. BETH'ELL 1,745,242

TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Filed Q 1925 2 SheetsSheet 2 Patented Jan. 28, 1930 PATENTl OFFICE GEORGE MOORE BETHELL, OF MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Application filed. October 26, 1925, SeriaLNo. 64,951, and in Great. Britain October 30, 1924 This invention is for improvements in or relating to ticket printing and issuing machines of the type which comprise means whereby tickets are printed, at the time they are required for issue, with an indication of the value of the ticket, and with index num-- here or other information for checking the tickets, or advertisements or such other mat ter as may be desired according to circum- 1c stances. The invention has for one of its objects to provide a construction of the machine of this type, which shall be small and light so as to be capable of being employed, if desired, as a portable ticket printer and issuer and be carried upon the person of an attendant on a passenger vehicle.

The invention is concerned with machines of the above type comprising one or more printing members and a cooperating platen,

E11 and in which thesaid platen is automatically moved to and from printing position by a cam and a co-operating spring at each operation of the machine, and according to one feature of the invention the platen is moved into printing position by the spring and with drawn by the cam. The cam may be so shaped as to afford abrupt forward movement of the platen into printing position, that is to say to permit the spring to move. the platen so abruptly forward, as this will be found to be conducive to clear printing.

According to another feature of the invention, there is combined with the printing member or members and the cooperating platen a master member which at each manipulation of an operating handle of the machine is moved a predetermined extent, (for example makes one complete rotation), which master member controls the platen and the 41? ticket blank-feeding mechanism in such a manner that early in the movement of the master n'iember the platen is brought into position to effect printing, and: during. the re mainderof the movement of the master member theblank-feeding,mechanism is operated,

and the printing platen reset against the pressure of. the spring and in such a position that it is ready for release into printing position early in the next succeeding movement of the master member. For convenience, the platen may be made to travel along a straightline path towards and from printing position, and the master member may be mounted to rotate about an axis lying parallel to such straightline path (for example, it'may be mounted to rotate about a shaft to which the platen is attached). Further, the master member may conveniently take the form of a threepart element whereof the parts are immovable relatively to each other and whereof one part may be the cam which, in co-operation with the aforesaid spring, effects the movement of the platen towards and from printing position; a second part may receive the drive as the result of the manipulation of the operating handle of the machine, and a third part may intermittently operate the blank-feeding mechanism. There may also be combined with the blank-feeding mechanism, a locking device which when in looking position precludes the operation of such mechanism but is released by the said master member after the printing operation has taken place. There may also be provided a locking device which is controlled by the master member and prevents adjustment of one or more of the said printing members except when the platen is in or substantially in its completely withdrawn position. This will prevent de rangement of the parts and erroneous printing. 7

According to a further feature of the invention there is provided a rotary operating handle combined with means for automatically limiting the movement of the latter and means for automatically returning such handle to its original position.

For a more complete understanding of the invention there will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings one constructionaltional form of ticket printing and issuing machine according to the invention. It is to be understood, however,that the invention is not restricted to the precise constructional details set forth. In these drawings- Figure 1 is an elevation of the machine, one of the cover plates being removed;

Figure 2 is an end elevation partly in sec tion on the line 2-2 of. Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial plan of the machine;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fi ure 1;

igure 5 is a detail sectional plan view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 1, and

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 77 of Figure 1.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

The machine illustrated comprises an outer casing 10 of, say, aluminum which may, if desired, have straps or loops or the like attached to it to permit of its being carried upon the person of the operator. Towards one end of the casing there is mounted a shaft 11 which takes a bearing at one end in an end wall of the casing and at the other end in an internal partition 12. Outside the casing the shaft 11 has rigidly mounted upon it an operating handle 13 and between the latter and the casing there is provided a stationary washer 14 secured to the casing by a screw 15 (see Figure 7). This washer 14 is formed with a part-circular groove or slot 16 into which there protrudes a pin 17 carried by the handle 13. Consequently the rotatory movement of the handle 13 is definitely limited. Inside the casing, the shaft 11 has fixedly mounted upon it an arm 18 and coiled around the shaft between this arm and the end wall of the casing is a spring 19. One end of the spring is anchored to the casing and at the other presses against the arm 18 in the direction to move the handle in the counter-clockwise directions as seen in Figure 7. Consequently the rest position of the handle will be that indicated in Figure 7, wherein the pin 17 is abutting against the left-hand end of the slot 16 as seen in that figure. The arm 18 has pivoted on it a detent 20 controlled by a spring 21 which urges the detent in the clockwise direction as seen in Figure 2. Loosely mounted upon the shaft 11 is a main gear wheel 22 having on one of its side faces a boss 23 with two teeth 24 (see Figure 2) upon it. The detent 20 rides on the surface of the boss 23 and at each operation of the handle 13 will rotate the wheel 22 half a turn by abutting against one of the teeth 24. \Vhcn the handle is released the spring 19 will return the handle to its origi nal position during which movement the detent 20 will ride over the surface of the boss 23 and ultimately engage behind the other tooth 24 ready to co-operate with the latter in rotating the wheel 22 at the next manipulation of the handle 13.

Arranged parallel to the shaft 11 is a ram shaft 25 which at one end is guided in a bearing 26 carried by the end wall of the casing, and at the other end is guided in a bearing 27 carried by the partition 12. This shaft 25 is not intended to rotate but is in tended to slide longitudinally of its axis. The shaft fixedly carries a surface cam 28 between which and the end wall of the casing a coiled spring 29 is placed which tends to move the ram shaft towards the left as seen in Fig re 1. The face of the surface cam remote from the spring 29 is shaped like one turn of a square screw-thread. At its end which lies towards the middle of the casing, the ram shaft carries a platen 30 haw n operat' face 31 of rubber or other C( menient liltll lr rial. Between the bearing 2? and the cam 28 there is loosely mounted upon the s aft 25 a master member 1 the form of a three-part element whereof the parts are either furn'ied integral with each other or are. rigidly attached together. This three-part element can rotate about the shaft 27 while permitting the latter to move endwise through it. and the three-part element is held against endwise moven'ient itself because it abuts at one end against the hearing 21' and at the other end against the cam 28. The three parts of this said element are a surface cam 82, a gear wheel 33 and an arm 3 1. The cam 32 has its ope 'at. face shaped like the ope"- ating face of the cam 28 and it will be seen from Figure 1 iii the helical parts of the operating faces of these two cams are e: terminated by flat surfaces 3:) and 36 wh lie in planes containing the axis of the sha The gear wheel 33 en; es the main gear wheel 22 and causes ro itien of the tl1reepart element whenever the latter is rotated. Due to the rotation of the three-part elementthe cam 32 will be rotated over the surface of the cam 28 pressing the latter and the shaft 25 towards the right as seen in Figure 1 and compressiini the spri g \Vhen the highest points of the two cams pass each other, ie. when the twcsurfaces 35 and 36 are brought into alignnient there will be an abrupt mov f s iaft and the platen 3O towa ure 1 The rest pr in Figure 1 and it will. be seen that the surfaces and 36 have been brought almost into alignment and that very little rotation of the cam 32 is necessary before the abruptlongitudinal movement of the ram shaft takes place.

On the outside of the top of the casing are four co-axial rotary members comprising two knobs 37 and 38 with knurled edges to afford a finger grip and two rings 39 and 40, as described in my specification ilo. 122,135 filed July 13, 1926 which are directly connected by means of a nest of concentric sleeves to four printing wheels 48, 49, 50 and 51 all of approximately the same diameter. They lie one above the other with a portion of their curved peripheries facing the platen 30 and parallel to the operative surface 31 of the latter. The wheel 48, which is the lowermost, carries on its periphery numerals corresponding to the value of the tickets to be printed, and is fixedly mounted upon a vertical shaft 52 which is supported at its lower end in a bearing 53 carried by a partition 54 inside the casing, and this shaft 52 extends upwardly to the knob 37. The other printing wheels may bear other characters such as, say, ticket code numbers and letters, indications of the stages of a journey, or other matter, and obviously the number and size of the printing wheels may be varied as appears desirable according to circumstances. It will be appreciated that the printing wheels are individually adjustable.

Combined with the printing wheel 48 is a locking device which is controlled by the master member of the machine, i. e. the aforesaid three-part element, and prevents adj ustment of said printing member except when the printing platen is in or substantially in its completely withdrawn position. This locking device comprises an arm 67 whereof the upper end is arranged to reach into the plane of a circular ring of downwardly extending teeth 68 formed on the underface of the printing wheel 48. The arm 67 is shown in Figure 4 in its inoperative position, in which position it lies inside the inner ends of the teeth 68. However, it can be rocked into position between two adjacent teeth and when in this position it positively prevents adjustment of the wheel 48. The arm 67 is fixedly carried upon a rock shaft 69 which is mounted towards one end in the partition 12 and towards the other end in a block depend ing from the partition 54. The rock shaft 69 reaches right through the partition 12 and carries at its end another arm 70 which is situated in the plane of the arm 34 on the three-part element. Around the shaft 69 there is coiled a spring 71 which at one end is anchored to the partition 12 and at the other end presses against the arm 70 and tends to rock the shaft 69 into a position in which the arm 67 will lock the wheel 48 against rotation. hen the parts are in their rest position, however, the three-part element lies in such a position that its arm 34 is in engagement with the arm 70 on the rock shaft (see Figure 6) and overcomes the pressure of the spring 71 and moves and maintains the rock shaft with its arm 67 in inoperative position, i. e. in the position shown in Figure 4. In this rest position the platen 30 is withdrawn from printing position and consequently there is no reason why adjustment of the printing wheel should not take place. Immediately the operator moves the handle 13 to initiate an operatioirof the machine, rotation of the three-part element will commence and by the time that the printing platen has been released and driven forward into printing position, the arm 34 will have moved clear of the arm 70 and the spring 71 will have rocked the arm 67 into locking position.

Mounted between the upper wall of the casing and the partition 54 are two reels or spools 7 2 and 7 3 for an inking ribbon 74, of which the arrangement and operation is described in the aforesaid specification No. 122,135, filed July 13, 1926.

Mounted below the lower wall of the easing 10, between a pair of brackets 92, is a carrier 93 for a roll 94 of paper. The paper strip 95 is led from the roll 94 around the cross-bars 96 and 97 of the carrier in order to apply frictional resistance to the feed of the strip, and finally passes from the carrier to an aperture 98 in the lower wall of the casing 10. From this aperture there is a guideway constituted by a pair of plates 99 and 100 which leads the strip 95 to a pair of feed rolls 101 and 102. These rolls are mounted upon spindles carried by partitions 103 and 104 and the roll 102 is controlled by a spring 105 which presses this roll against the cooperating roll101. The roll 101 carries a spur wheel 106 which meshes with a corresponding spur wheel 107 carried on a spindle 108 lying parallel to the axis of the feed roll 101. This spindle 108 is carried in the partitions 103 and 104 and reaches outside the former where it carries a bevel wheel 109 (see Figures 1 and 4). The bevel wheel 109 meshes with another bevel wheel 110 carried upon a spindle 111 which is mounted in the partitions 12 and 62. The spindle 111 reaches through the partition 12 and carries a spur wheel 112 which meshes with a larger wheel 113 having four arms constituting a star 114 (see particularly Figure 6). The wheel 113 is loosely mounted on the main shaft 11 and is rotated by the arm of the three-part element aforesaid. his arm carries a roller 115 which engages the arms of the star to rotate the wheel 113 one quarter of a revolution for each complete revolution of the three-part element. This movement of the wheel 113 and conseqnently of the feed rolls for the paper strip is timed, by reason of the angular setting of the arm 34, to occur during the latter part of the rotation of the three-part element so that it occurs at a time when the platen 30 has been withdrawn from its printing position. From the feed rolls 101 and 102 the paper strip 95 passes between the platen 30 and the printing wheels and finally emerges as a prin ed ticket 116 through an aperture 11'? in the upper wall of the casing 10. The wheel 113 carries, on its face remote from the star, four stop pins 118 which lie on radial lines corresponding to the four arms of the star. These stop pins 118 co-operate with a locking bar 119 which is pivoted to the partition 12 and has its free end controlled by a spring 120 which draws the bar towards the axis of the wheel 113. The bar is formed with a shoulder 121 whereof the lower face, as seen in Figure 6, operates to prevent rotation of the wheel 113 in the clockwise direction as seen in that figure when one of the pins 118 is abutting against such face. The bar 119 is also formed with a cam 122 which lies adjacent to the three-part element, and a pin 123 on the latter wipes across the surface of this cam once in every revolution of the three-part element. \Vhen this occurs the bar 119 is rocked about its pivot, against the tension of the spring 120, and its shoulder 121 is moved out of the path of the pins 118. Consequently when this occurs, rotation of the wheel 11%) is permissible, and is subsequently e'l'i ectcd by the arm 34. The wheel 113, and the paper feeding rolls 101 and 102 driven thereby, are therefore held against rotation except when the platen has been withdrawn from its operative printing position. Moving with the platen 30 is a guillotine blade 124 which cooperates with a stationary blade 125 to cut the tickets from the strip. The blade 124 is formed with a re-entering angle, see particularl Figure 5, and the length of movement of t ris blade is such as not to sever the strip completely but to leave a portion intact towards the middle of the width or the strip. This will facilitate the feed of the printed tickets through the aperture 117 since the unsevered portion of the strip will serve to transmit the feeding pressure from the rolls 101 and 102 and also to prevent the printed ticket from being displaced. Carried by one of the side walls of the casing 10 is a plate spring 126 whereof one end engages behind the platen 3t) and supplements the operation of the coiled spring 29 in forcing the platen towards the printing wheels.

In some circumstances, it may be desired that the machine should afitomatically register the total value of the tickets issued, and sometimes in addition the actual number of tickets issued, mechanism for which is described in the aforesaid specification No. 122,135, filed July 13, 1926. The main driving wheel 22 meshes with a wheel 147 carried by a shaft 146, which is mounted in the casing and carries a wheel L15. This wheel 145 meshes with a pinion 144 and so transmits motion to the counting and totalling devices as described in the above-mentioned specification.

The operation of the machine may be described as follows :The rings 39 and 40 would be set by a supervisor according to any suitable code and would remain unaltered during any particular day or any particular journey of the vehicle. When. the operator wishes to issue a ticket he will set the knob 37 to the amount of the fare and the knob 38 to the stage of the journey to which the fare is to apply. Having done this he will turn the handle 13 in the clockwise direction as seen in Figure 7, as far as it will go. Immediately after the commencement of the movement of the handle, the cam 32 will pass the highest point of the cam 28 and the platen-30 will be abruptly brought into printing position.

During the remainder of the movement of the handle 13, the platen will be reset, the printed ticket cut by the guillotine 124, fed to the outside of the machine and the two counters operated. At the end of a journey or at the end of a day, the cash paid in by the operator can be checked against the two counters very quickly.

It will be understood that the strip of paper may bear advertisement or other matter as desired and this matter may be printed upon the strip by printing rollers operating upon the strip before it reaches the feed rolls 101 and 102. These printing rollers may be used as feed rolls and be supplied with an inking roller or other inking mechanism.

It is also to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the precise constructional details set forth.

I claim 1. A ticket-printing and issuing machine of the type described comprising a printing member a co-operating platen, a cam situated ehind the platen and turning about an axis pcrpendicuhir thereto, a rearward projection from the platen corresponding in term with the cam, co-axial with the cam and to be acted upon by said cam, and a spring tending always to move the platen towards the printing member, said cam and spring automatically moving the said platen to and from the printing position at each operation of the machine, the movement 01 the platen into printing position being eiliected by the spring and the witl'rdrawal movement by the cam.

2. A ticket-printing and issuing machine of the type described, comprising in combination a printing member, a cooperating platen, a spring arranged to control the movement of said, platen, ticket blanlcfeed mechanism for conveying blanks to printing position, an operating handle for the machine, a master member, means operatively connecting said handle with the master member and arranged to move the latter a predetermined extentat each manipulation of the handle, means operatively connecting the master member to the platen and arranged to move the latter into position to effect printing early in the movement of the master member and, during its subsequent movement, to reset the platen against the action of said spring, and means operatively connecting the master member to said feed mechanism and arranged to operate the latter during said subsequent movement of the master member.

3. A ticket-printing and issuing machine of the type described, comprising in combination a printing member, a cooperating platen, a spring arranged to control the movement of said platen, ticket blank-feed mech anism for conveying blanks to printing position, an operating handle for the machine, a rotary master member, means operatively connecting said handle with the master memher and arranged to move the latter one complete revolution at each manipulation of the handle, means operatively connecting the master member to the platen and arranged to move the latter into position to effect printing early in each rotation of the master member and, during subsequent rotary movement, to reset the platen against the action of said spring into its rest position ready for release into printing position early in the next succeeding rotation of the master member, and means operatively connecting the master member to said feed mechanism and arranged to operate the latter during said subsequent movement of the master member.

4:. A ticket-printing and issuing machine of the type described, comprising in combinatien a printing member, a cooperating platen adapted to move along a straight-line path to and from printing position at each operation of the machine, a spring arranged to control the movement of said platen, ticket blank-feed mechanism for conveying blanks to printing position, an operating handle for the machine, a master member mounted to rotate about an axis lying parallel to said straight-line path, means operatively connecting said handle with the master member and arranged to move the latter a predetermined angular extent at each manipulation of the handle, means operatively connecting the master member to the platen and arranged to move the latter into position to effect printing early in each rotation of the master nember and, during its subsequent movement, to reset the platen against the action of said spring into its rest position ready for release into printing position early in the next succeeding rotation of the master memher, and means operatively connecting the master member to said feed mechanism and arranged to operate the latter during the said subsequent movement of the master member.

5. A ticket-printing and issuing machine of the type described, comprising in combination a printing member, a ram shaft ex tending towards the same, a platen carried by said shaft and arranged to cooperate with the printing member, a spring arranged to control movement of said platen, ticket blankfeed mechanism for conveying blanks to printing position, an operating handle for the machine, a master member rotatable about said ram shaft, means operatively connecting said handle with the master member and arranged to move the latter one complete revolution at each manipulation of the handle, means operatively connecting the master member to the platen and arranged to move the latter into position to effect printing early in the rotation of the master member and,

during its subsequent rotary movement, to reset the platen against the action of said spring into its rest position ready for release into printing position early in the next succeeding rotation of the master member, and means operatively connecting the master member to said feed mechanism and arranged to operate the latter during said subsequent movement of the master member.

6. A ticket-printing and issuing machine of the type described, comprising in combination a printing member, a cooperating platen, a spring arranged to control the movement of said platen, ticket blank-feed mechanism for conveying blanks to printing position, an operating handle for the machine, a master member in the form of a three-part element, whereof. the parts are immovable relatively to each other and whereof one part is a cam arranged to cooperate with said spring to effect the reciprocatory movement of the platen towards and away from printing position, means operatively connecting said handle with a second part of said element and arranged to rotate the master member a predetermined extent at each manipulation of the handle, and means operatively connecting the third part of said element to said feed mechanism and arranged to operate the latter during the latter part of the rotary movement of the master member.-

7. A ticket-printing and issuing machine of the type described, comprising in combination a printing member, a cooperating platen, a spring arranged to control the movement of said platen, ticket blank-feed mechanism for conveying blanks to printing position, an operating handle for the machine, a locking device for said feed mechanism, a master member, means operatively connecting said handle with the master member and arranged to move the latter a predetermined extent at each manipulation of the handle, means operatively connecting the master member to the platen and arranged to move the latter into position to effect printing early in the movement of the master member and, during its subsequent movement, to reset the platen against the action of said spring, unlocking means for holding said locking device in its disengaged position and arranged to be operated by said master member during its subsequent movement, and means operatively connecting the master member to said feed mechanism and arranged to operate the latter, after said locking device has been disengaged, during said subsequent movement of the master member.

8. A ticket-printing and issuing machine of the type described, comprising in combination a printing member, means for adjusting said member to vary the matter to be printed, a locking device arranged to prevent such adjustment of the printing member, a platen arranged to cooperate with said printing member, a spring arranged to control the movement of said platen, ticket blank-feed mechanism for conveying blanks to printing position, an opcrating handle for the machine, a master member, means operatively connecting said handle with the master member and arranged to move the latter a predetermined extent at each manipulation of the handle, means operatively connecting the master member to the platen and arranged to move the latter into position to effect printing early in the movement of the master member and, during its subsequent movement, to reset the platen against the action of said spring, unlocking means for holding said locking device in its disengaged position and arranged to be operated by said master member during its said subsequent movement when the platen is in its substantially reset position, and means operatively connecting the master member to said feed mechanism and arranged to operate the latter during the said subsequent movement of the master member.

9. A ticket-printing and issuing machine of the type described, comprising in combination a printing member, a cooperating platen, a spring arranged to control the movement of said platen, ticket blank-feed mechanism for conveying blanks to printing position, a rotary operating handle for the machine, means for automatically limiting the movement of said handle at each operation of the machine, means for automatically returning said handle to its rest position after each operation of the machine, a master member, means operatively connecting said handle with the master member and arranged to move the latter a predetermined extent at each manipulation of the handle, means operatively connecting the master member to the platen and arranged to move the latter into position to effect printing early in the movement of the master member and, during its subsequent movement, to reset the platen against the action of said spring, and means operatively connecting the master member to said feed mechanism and arranged to operate the latter during said subsequent movement of the master member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GEORGE MOORE BETHELL. 

